Gracepoint
by Zarius
Summary: (Five Episode Mini-Series), An alternative take on the final days of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, which asks the question...what if the Rangers were not reverted to children at the end of "Rangers In Reverse", but the rest of the world was? Featuring Kid Bulk and Skull, Battle Borgs, the Zeo quest, Alpha defusing a bomb, and above all else, more metallic glitter!
1. Rangers In Retreat

**Episode One: Rangers In Retreat**

At the Angel Grove Juice Bar, it was another frantic weekend afternoon for six extraordinary teenagers with attitude.

One of these teenagers, Rocky, was lifting a large crate of bananas that had been recently delivered. His friend Billy was helping him with another heavy crate, full of melons.

Directing traffic was the bar's owner Ernie, who was pleased to have all the help he could get lifting these packages.

"Good work guys" he said.

"Think nothing of it Ernie, we're glad to help, especially when it means free smoothes" said Rocky, which caused Billy to give him a dirty glance.

Rocky wondered what the accusatory stare was for.

"What? I'm eager to try out Ernie's new recipe, you must be curious too" he said.

"Rocky, surely the fact we have put some effort into helping Ernie out with the crates reward enough?" Billy insisted,

"Come on guys, they'll be plenty of reward to go around, and it'll be for everyone, it's all on me today. After all, it's a special occasion tomorrow" said a satisfied Ernie.

As he walked past another of Billy and Rocky's friends, Tommy, a sense of awkwardness overtook all three as they pondered what Ernie meant.

"You guys get the feeling we've forgotten something?" Tommy said.

"I know you get that feeling all the time, but I'm usually pretty sharp" said Rocky.

"I admit to being fairly stumped myself over what Ernie could possibly be indicating" said Billy.

Two more of their friends, Adam and Aisha, charged into the bar.

"Hey guys, is Katherine here?" said Adam.

"No" Tommy replied.

"Thank goodness, I wanted to run what we have planned for her big day past you guys before she turned up" Adam revealed.

Tommy, Rocky and Billy all looked at each other and felt an overwhelming urge to bury their heads in their hands

"Kat's birthday, aw man I forgot all about it" he said.

"Well don't that beat all?" said Aisha sarcastically.

"Hey, we all forgot this time, he's in good company" said Rocky defensively.

"Well it shouldn't really matter, this present didn't require all of us to think it out anyway...this has fallen straight into our lap" said Aisha.

"What are you getting at Aisha?" asked Tommy.

Aisha beckoned the group to huddle together so she could reveal her intent.

Meanwhile, high above the Earth, on the far side of the moon, within a lavish lunar palace, evil was stirring.

"My father, Master Vile, is finally ready to unleash the masterstroke of the millennium" exclaimed a lethally lively Rita Repulsa to her hardened husband Lord Zedd, bratty brother Rito and long suffering solider Goldar.

"Such a prestigious presentation requires an audience, we have supplied it, now where is the presenter? Is the old coot perhaps conjuring up a vanishing act? Let's hope so" Zedd remarked.

"Have patience my pretty, he's been very busy, this latest scheme has taxed his powers and his mind"

"I'm going out of my mind just putting up with him" said Zedd.

Deep within the core of the moon, in an underground cave close to the lines of the Caves of Deception, Master Vile stood in the midst of heavy mist, a sceptre in hand, putting into practise an insidious incantation.

"Forces of darkness that I empower fulfil my needs at this crucial hour. To ensure that all my enemies fall, delay no longer and answer my call"

Vile raised his arms, ripples of blue electrical energy surged from his sleeves, the blue turned wildly to gold as the energy levels in the cavern increased tenfold. The sheer strength of the power surging through Vile as the incantation took effect was enough to trigger a small lunar quake.

The ground beneath Vile began to crack open, and a power crimson glow emanated from where he stood.

Vile continued his incantation.

"Evil so pure it blinds who can see, after ten thousand years, send your champion to me"

The lunar quake soon subsided, and the cave once more became stable. Vile stood firm despite much debris falling around him. He reached out to the chasm that had opened before him with his right hand and fetched a stone orb with a pulsating orange light.

"It is done, oh glorious embers of evil I thank you for this gift" Vile said in gracious thanks.

Vile would find little gratitude when he returned to the lunar palace. Having been severely damaged by the lunar quake, everyone was stumbling around. Squatt was helping Baboo back to his feet, while Rito was attempting to help Goldar in much the same way, only for the golden gladiator to swat his hand aside, opting to rise on his own power.

"Gee Pop, you did it again, you left ol' Edd over there piping hot" Rito said to Vile, pointing to Zedd's skin glowing a bright and enraged crimson. The colour of the lunar chamber changed to reflect his current attitudes.

"Just what in pandora's play pen are you up to now Vile?" Zedd said angrily.

"Planning the next step in our plan to destroy the Power Rangers and conquer this planet of course" revealed Vile.

"And what will it require? Another visit from a branch of your family tree? You're lucky I don't cut you off at the roots" Zedd replied angrily,

"Be nice Zeddy" said Rita

"I'm an overload of evil, being nice isn't in my nature" revealed Zedd.

"Mock me if you will Zedd, for very soon the fate of the Power Rangers shall be decided, and not by my hand, but by their own"

At the Power Rangers Command Centre, Alpha 5 was in a state of distress.

"Ay-yi-yi Zordon, a disturbance in the moon's gravitational pull is decalibrating all of our instruments"

"Have you been able to pinpoint the cause?" Zordon, the Ranger's Eltarian mentor, asked

"Not at this time Zordon, but the readings are off the scale, I can only think of one item found at the heart of the moon that could create such a disruption, but it's remained undisturbed for thousands of years...not even Rita or Lord Zedd have dared to try and release it"

"Then we can only assume Master Vile has dared to do what others have not" Zordon revealed.

"Only the most absolute of evil beings would risk using what we assume has been uncovered" Alpha said.

"The evil we oppose has never been in a more desperate state Alpha, the Rangers have become quite the formidable force and Vile's last campaign against the planet ended in humiliation. He will not take being humbled in this way lightly"

"I guess all we can do right now is hope that we're both wrong about this, but I have a feeling in my dials that something is going to go drastically wrong" confessed a worried Alpha.

Elsewhere, in Angel Grove, a large carnival was in town.

Katherine , a pink blindfold over her eyes, asked her five teammates what was going on

"Guys, where are you taking me?! I don't understand!" she pleaded, half excitedly as the loud music and sound of screaming children gave her the impression she was surrounded by a lively and joyous environment.

"We wanted to make sure your first birthday in the States was full of life, laughs and love. The love comes from us, the laughs come from them, and here's to more years of life for all of us" exclaimed a pleased Aisha.

"Yeah Kat, you're definitely going to love this" said Tommy.

Tommy and Billy lead the blinded Katherine through the main parking lot, the others following close behind.

Elsewhere in the parking lot, Junior Police Officers Bulk and Skull were on parking duty. Skull was carrying a measuring tape, while Bulk was busy writing tickets on a notepad.

Skull's measurements one vehicle in particular were analysed by Bulk, scribbling them on the notepad and agreeing with them.

The owner of the car soon arrived, his features hidden behind a baseball cap and a pair of dark shades.

Bulk approached him.

"Excuse me sir, but according to our meticulous measurements, your car is too inches close to the line. That's a mighty big traffic hazard there.

Skull wound up the tape measure and plucked it into Bulk's hand.

"Write 'em his notice Bulkie" Skull exclaimed.

"Sir, I must advise you to be careful where you deposit that heap of yours, otherwise next time we'll be forced to tow it" Bulk continued, chuckling. Skull followed that up with his own trademark laugh.

The man removed his shades, revealing the features of Bulk and Skull's superior officer Lt. Stone.

"I might be forced to do something quite disturbing if you go through with that gentlemen...so why don't we put a bad idea to bed" said Stone in a smooth and stern voice that shook Bulk and Skull to their core.

"Yes sir, absolutely sir" said Bulk, tearing up the parking ticket and stuffing it in Skull's mouth, Skull swallowed it and grinned nervously at Stone, who rolled his eyes and stormed past them.

Around the corner, the blindfolded Kat was brought to the carnival entrance.

"Now for the grand unveiling" said Aisha as Tommy handed her the tickets for entry.

"I'm ready guys, surprise me" said Katherine.

Billy removed her blindfold and Katherine took in the full sights and sounds of the carnival in progress.

"Surprised?" said Rocky.

"Oh guys I love this, thank you so much" said Katherine as she got a little overemotional.

"Hey, wipe those tears girlfriend, this is a happy occasion" remarked Aisha.

"I'm so lucky, these past few months have been a rollercoaster for me, meeting you guys has really changed my life for the better" Katherine said.

"We're all lucky to have met you Kat" said Rocky.

"Come on, guys. Let's go have some fun!"

At the Lunar Palace, Master Vile was explaining his latest plan to his family.

Squatt and Baboo, most curious about the item in Vile's hand, reached out to touch it, only to be electrocuted by a surge of Vile's sceptre

"Don't put your grubby paws on it. This is a delicate item, it has the power to shatter the very foundations of a planet. Do you want us all cast adrift in space?" Vile" cautioned with sheer contempt in his voice.

"It would help of course Vile if we knew just what we were dealing with" Zedd said.

"Thankfully it is the Rangers that will have to deal with this orb's power, and they will find they have at last met their match"

"Their match? Wouldn't they use that to start a fire and smoke us out?" asked a dumbfounded Rito much to Vile's dismay. Zedd zapped Rito's behind with a bolt of energy from his own staff.

"The Orb was devised as a morphing grid in miniature" Vile explained, "It has the ability, when placed in a location that aligns perfectly with a set of stellar constellations, can emit a temporal wave that restores the Earth to an earlier point in its history. This was originally devised as a last resort by the Morphing Masters should evil overtake the planet, but the orb was too powerful for them to control, and was thus buried deep within the moon. Only a thorough breakdown of the caverns of despair's defences by the Rangers on their last visit here granted me the power sufficient enough to release it"

"So this orb can do what we've already tried, and failed, to do in turning the clock back on the Earth, to do. An inspirational piece of original thinking there Vile" replied a cynical and wearier Zedd.

"Oh ye of little faith, this will do more than just reverse time, being a product of the Morphing Masters, the orb harnesses the very core of the Morphing Grid's energies, whenever energy from the same source is used in opposition to it, it absorbs and bestows it's wielder with a karmic deflection" Vile explained.

"Are you telling us this is basically a rabbit's foot?" asked Rita.

"I got one better sis, it's the whole rabbit" said Rito.

"Rito, I am entrusting the Orb of Doom to you, position it just north of the city, it will do the rest. You need not worry about interference from the Power Rangers, indeed I am looking forward to their attempts at meddling" Vile instructed, handing Rito the orb.

"You can count on me Pops" said Rito, shimmering in red energy as he transported himself down to the surface of the Earth.

Back at the carnival, the six teenagers were atop the Super Slide riding atop potato sacks, cheering loudly as they slid down towards the bottom. At one point in the trip, Tommy found himself unable to maintain his balance and spun around on his back.

Katherine was in high spirits, and exclaimed how awesome the slide was as soon as they touched down.

"You guys want to try out the Roller Plane next?" asked Tommy as Katherine helped him to his feet.

"I eagerly agree" said Billy as he came down.

"I'm definitely up for it" said Katherine.

Rocky clutched his stomach, feeling a little queasy.

"I don't know guys, these rollercoasters are really messing with my intestines, probably shouldn't have those chilli dogs before I started on these rides" he said.

"The ironic thing is you haven't even been on any real rollercoasters yet" joked Aisha.

The Rangers communicators suddenly went off.

Katherine's face froze, she shook slightly.

"Not today" she whispered.

Tommy and the other dashed off to a secluded corner at the edge of the slide, the teens huddled together in a circle, activating their communicators.

"We read you Zordon" said Tommy.

"Power Rangers, you are required at the Command Centre immediately" said Zordon.

The teens did as instructed, triggering the teleporter on their communicators. Their bodies shimmered and crackled with sparkling multi coloured electricity and they flew into the sky heading towards their Command Centre hidden in the rocky mountains on the outskirts of the city.

Upon landing inside the Command Centre, they were greeted by a distressed Alpha,

"Oh, thank goodness your're here! Ay-yi-yi! It's just terrible!" he bellowed.

"Calm down Alpha, I've never seen you this haywire" said Adam.

The teens, looks of concern on their faces, asked Zordon what the latest emergency was

" Master Vile has summoned the darkest force in the universe, and is preparing to unleash it on our planet." Zordon revealed.

"I don't get it! What force?" Aisha asked

"The Orb Of Doom. A device that harnesses the very power of the Morphing Grid. Corrupted long ago by the forces of evil it lay dormant within the Moon's caverns of despair for millennia until very recently. Somehow Master Vile has gotten a hold of it, and has sent Rito to Earth to place it at a specific set of coordinates. Once he succeeds, Vile will be able to use the Orb to reverse time and undo key events in our history. It will be as the Power Rangers had never arrived"

"Wait, it can tap into the Morphing Grid energy? Does that mean it can give Vile, Zedd and Rita access to our powers?" Rocky asked.

"No, but for as long as he has his hands on the Orb, Rito and his forces will have a distinct advantage in both strength and tenacity that could prove to be a difficult challenge" explained Alpha.

"Once the Orb is planted, it will burn through its remaining energies to accomplish its task. You won't have to worry about it afterwards, but by that point it will have achieved it's purpose and the Earth will be altered"

"Does this orb have the power to halt time indefinitely?" asked Billy.

"It was created to be an ideal weapon by people whose sole ideal was the planet's perceived golden age, an age that cannot be viewed through a lens that looks forward" Zordon revealed.

"So in other words, to the orb the past is most present" said Adam

"Let us intercept Rito Zordon, we can take him" said Tommy.

"There is a chance, but there is a great risk Rangers. As Alpha has said, the power you draw from the morphing grid will be used to enhance Rito and his own forces; they would prove to be a formidable match"

"We've gotten by before through taking chances" said a confidant Tommy.

Billy printed out the co-ordinates and studied them thoroughly.

"Remember, Rangers. Once the Orb is secured, it cannot be removed."

"Red Ranger Power"

"Black Ranger Power"

"Yellow Ranger Power"

"Pink Ranger Power"

"Blue Ranger Power"

"White Ranger Power"

Transforming into the Power Rangers, the six teenagers teleported to their destination, where they found Rito wandering the hills.

"Look, he's got the orb in his hands" said Adam, pointing to the glowing object in Rito's grip.

"Hey Rito, we'll take that" called out Tommy.

Rito turned around and grunted.

"Hey, dad said you'd arrive for the party, might as well start it with a bang" he said and fired several electrical shots from what passed for his eyeballs, igniting the very ground the Rangers stood on, though fortunately the Rangers were able to leap out of the way in time as the soil erupted into flames.

The Rangers encircled Rito, giving him no possible way out.

"You're surrounded Rito, you might as well surrender and hand over that Orb" said Tommy.

Rito waved his bone-sword menacingly at them.

"If I had nerves, you guys would be getting on the end of every one of them" Rito remarked.

"Whatever your game is, you're going to lose" said Rocky.

"Oh games? Now this is definitely what I call a party, here's one of my favourites, it's called "TENGA, YOU'RE IT"

He waved his sword and summoned an army consisting of purple and black feathered freaks

"Those feathered forces have never been much of a match for us Rito" said Tommy.

"Always a first for everything, sic 'em boys" said Rito.

More Tengas approached Aisha from behind.

She backed away slowly upon noticing them.

"I hate to tell you this, guys. But now we're the ones that are surrounded"

"I ain't got all day, so if you don't mind, I'll leave you guys to play while I get my job done" Rito said, resuming his journey.

Suddenly, Zedd's most loyal minion Goldar arrived.

"I heard you were having a party, why wasn't I invited?" he said.

"Guys, we can't delay any longer, we've got to stop Rito before he plants that orb where it needs to be" said Billy.

"Agreed, drop it Rito" said Tommy.

"We won't let you get away with this" said Katherine.

"I'm afraid you have no choice this time Birthday brat, the grid's energy flow through this odd little orb, a lot of luck is on my side this time"

"Your luck's about to run out" decreed Tommy.

"Fortune favors the bald" said Rito

"That's bold you numb skull" said Goldar

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with my skull, sure it's a bit dented around the edges, but it feels just fine" said Rito.

The Rangers, realising time was of the essence, charged into battle with the Tengas. Rocky threw several fierce punches, some of which the Tengas deflected or ducked, and set themselves upon him. Aisha managed to avoid being sliced in half by Goldar's sword and reached out to grab the orb from Rito, but a Tenga speared her from the side and pulled her down to the ground.

Billy tried his hand next, getting close to Rito and managing to spar with him briefly. Rito was able to juggle clashing with Billy with holding the orb and keeping it from falling into the Ranger's hands. The orb glowed brightly, Rito could feel the harmonious energy of the grid protecting him as Billy found it difficult to get past Rito's sword attacks and take the orb from him, even attempting to kick it out of his hand fell to pieces as Rito's hand was able to avoid every attempt by Billy to do so.

Finally, two Tengas grabbed Billy's arms and held him back, Billy eventually hurled them off and knocked them on top of one another, but by the time he turned, Rito had already advanced. The two Tengas swiftly got up and this time were successful in bringing Billy down.

Adam tried his hand next only to find his path to Rito blocked by Goldar and a trio of Tengas. Billy broke free of the Tengas pinning him down and joined Aisha to fend off Goldar and the trio and clear a path for Adam.

As the fight wore on however, more Tengas swooped in and provided Goldar with back up. Blue and Yellow now faced overwhelming odds, and their plan to give Adam cover to reach Rito soon fell apart as Adam raced to their rescue.

The swarm of Tengas tore into the Rangers with kicks and pecks from their beaks, Adam was kicked in the gut and Aisha was slammed onto a slab of concrete rock . Billy found himself being tackled once again, and was barely able to get up.

Billy walked over to Tommy, who was biding his time, attempting to find a clearer path to Rito and becoming frustrated that he couldn't find an opportunity.

"Tommy, Zordon was right, the orb's power is protecting Rito, there's no efficient way of reaching him, and the Tengas are unbelievably strong. We need extra protection"

"We'll call on the Metallic Amour" Tommy replied.

The Rangers all gathered around as the Tengas and Goldar swarmed over them, they motioned their arms up in the air and then down, creating a dazzling flash of light.

"Metallic armour power up" Tommy bellowed.

A pool of gleaming energy coated the Rangers in sparkling, gleaming variations on their outfits. The Rangers cracked their knuckles and flexed their enhanced muscles.

"So you Mighty Morphing Morons are on the Metallic Mend, as if that'll put a dent in my plans" said Rito.

"Too bad, because we're about to put break your bird's beaks" declared Rocky.

Aisha jumped high in the air and perched herself a tall boulder, the Tengas surrounded it. Aisha leaped off the boulder and delivered a jump kick to the Tengas, her golden yellow colouring illuminating the sky as she did so, knocking down several of them in one mighty swoop.

A Tenga also takes a leap into the air and attempts to pin down Billy for a third time, but Billy, protected by the metallic armour, was able to deliver a nasty kick with his leg in perfect position to impact on the Tengas's chest, causing it to flip uncontrollably down to the ground.

Black Metallic Ranger Adam faced down three Tengas at once. He utilized the power of his armour, gliding across the ground at the speed of light, zipping across the area and deflecting attacks from several Tengas.

Tommy engaged with Goldar, using Saba to counter sword attacks from the winged warrior. Several Tengas attempted to attack Tommy, but his sharp instincts alerted him to the ambush and he was hold to fend off the attempt at an attack by twirling around and slashing them with strieks from Saba before turning around and again clashing with Goldar.

Rocky and Katherine attempted to double team Rito, managing to finally catch up to him through the efforts of the others. They sparred back and forth with him, again trying to get him to release his grip on the orb of doom.

Rito was not to be deterred however, and slashed away at the two Rangers with his bone sword. The metallic armor protected them, but to their horror they found difficulty in trying to break Rito's hold on the orb.

"It's no good, that thing is still drawing power from the Grid to protect itself" said Rocky.

Meanwhile, somewhere up in the mountain range, White Ranger easily takes on Goldar, AND several Tengas at once. What a guy! Red Ranger gets back in the action with Rito Revolto, the two sparring Tommy attempted to reach Rito next, but the Tengas wee as determined as ever to prevent their foes from succeeding, and they grabbed him from behind, Katherine and Rocky were faced with a difficult choice, let Rito go or help their leader.

Katherine knew where her loyalties lay, and dashed off to protect Tommy. Rocky was initially hesitant, concerned with the mission, but realised friendship and teamwork was always the main priority.

Rito powered on, counting the numbers until he reached a spot covered in a patch of grass.

"Looks like a pretty spot...but wait, would Vile really pick somewhere nice looking to plant this thing? Is he just being ironic?" he said to himself.

Rito sat down, bashing the left side of his skull as he pondered where exactly to place the orb. The other Rangers were struggling to keep the Tengas at bay in the backdrop of him puzzling over the problem.

He pointed his finger to the patch of earth and waving it around, settling on the left, then the right, then up, then down. Nothing satisfied him.

"This isn't working, I have no idea where to place this thing, might as well chance it" said Rito, getting up and dropping the orb on the first patch of soil he chose.

To his astonishment, he found sometimes chances pay off for villains as much as they do for heroes.

A bright beam of violet energy was released from the Orb, streaming upwards towards the sky. Rito stood next to it, looking on in awe

"Alright" he said

"I don't believe it, the bonehead actually pulled it off" said Goldar.

"Hey, I was the one who trashed their Zords months back too, my pop was right about broken clocks" replied Rito.

Meanwhile, the Rangers found their struggle against the Tengas becoming mercifully easier, and they were able to beat them back.

Unfortunately, they also knew what this meant.

"Looks like the Orb's been released, which means we're too late" said Tommy.

The Rangers huddled together and watched as a loud thunderclap could be heard and the sky darkened. Lighting struck various sections of the rocky terrain, encircling Rito as he laughed triumphantly.

As the sky became a black hue, Rito spotted full moon peering through the murky clouds, as it's glow intensified, a earthquake suddenly rocked the area.

Rito, Goldar, the Tengas and the Ranger swayed from side to side as fissures opened up in the ground and they struggled to maintain their balance.

Observing all of the events was Alpha and Zordon from the security of the Command Centre.

"Ay-Ay-Ay Zordon, the Rangers have failed" said Alpha.

"Then we must proceed with our contingency plan quickly Alpha, summon the Rangers back here and begin preparations" Zordon ordered.

"Rangers, return to the command centre immediately" Alpha instructed as he contacted the Rangers.

"There's still a chance we can take the orb out Alpha" said Tommy.

"There's nothing that can be done at this stage Tommy, if you stay where you are, you'll be affected by the temporal storm the orb is generating" Alpha revealed

"Tommy, listen to Alpha, Rito's won" Rocky insisted.

"No, we've got to get the orb" Tommy said, anguish and desperation in his voice.

"Remember what Zordon said, the orb can't be removed. It's over, we have to retreat"

"No way" said Tommy, trying to make it to where the Orb was, only to be pulled back by the remaining Rangers.

"It's too late Tommy, please, it's too dangerous to remain here" Katherine pleaded.

Tommy pounded the ground in frustration as he realised his friends were right.

"...Ok" he said.

Tommy looked at his friends; he clenched his fist in frustration, and made the call.

"Rangers, retreat" he said.

The Ranegrs raised their arms to the sky and triggered their teleportation.

"The Rangers in retreat? Now there's a story" said Rito.

"We'd best retreat ourselves, otherwise we'll be taking a trip to the Earth's core" Goldar said, grabbing Rito by the shoulder blades and teleporting away.

Back at the Lunar Palace, a triumphant Master Vile addressed his family, giving the returning Rito a gold medal for his competence.

"Well done sonny boy, I knew the good fortunes of the Orb of Doom would bring misery and ultimate defeat for the Power Rangers" Vile boasted.

"Thanks dad, if I had a face, I'd be red with blushes right about now" said Rito.

Rita noticed Zedd was hesitant to celebrate.

"Hey, what's down with _your_ demeanour, the Rangers lost and had to run away" she said.

"Exactly, they retreated back to the Command Centre, where undoubtedly Zordon will find some means of protecting the power squeaks" Zedd revealed.

"Not even the wise and formidable Zordon can prepare fully for the great sea of change about to flood this planet" Vile revealed as bolts of lightning darted out of the Earth and lit up the stars, exploding into majestic sparks of light and energy that danced across the moon palace.

Back at the carnival, Bulk and Skull were trying to maintain order as the citizens panicked and ran in all directions.

"What's up with the sky? The forecast said it'd be clear all day" said Skull.

One citizen trod on Bulk's foot, causing him incredible pain

"That's the fifth time someone's stood on my bad toe today, the next one to try that is up to their pencil necks in trouble" he vowed.

No sooner that he'd decreed this did the same thing happen again. In pain, he grabbed the citizen by the neck and demanded he apologise.

"Care to repeat that Bulkmier?" said the Citizen, revealing himself to be Lt. Stone.

"Apology ac-accepted sir" Bulk said.

"Hey Bulk, you wanna head off and get something to eat" Skull said as he turned back to his friend, only to freeze in horror at the icy look on Stone's face as he suggested this.

"I meant get something to eat for the folks here" Skull said nervously.

"Yeah, a little something to calm their nerves and stomachs, I don't know if you're aware of this but there's something brewing up there" Bulk said nervously, pointing upwards towards the sky.

On the moon, Master Vile began to cast a spell

Give me strength, power, and rage. People of Earth, reverse in age"

The Orb Of Doom gleamed with another surge of power, a ferocious torrent of fire shot upwards and igniting the moon, making it as bright as the sun, before it shot back down towards the Earth and immersed in a warm glow.

Inside the Command Centre, the Ranger, still in costume, watched a view of the Earth from the viewing globe.

"Look, the planet is beginning to reverse it's rotation" Billy said

"Alpha, can you focus on the carnival?" Tommy asked.

On the viewing globe, the carnival slowly ground to a halt. Citizens froze in place as the planet burned bright with white hot energy.

On the moon, Master Vile concluded his spellbinding ceremony.

"Ultimate power, exert your force! Divert the Earth's natural course!"

"These nursery rhymes aren't worth my time" said a despairing Zedd.

Rita aggressively elbowed him.

As the world turned, Master Vile gloated at his supreme victory.

"The Rangers will not able to summon their Ninja Zords or draw on their own power, their defeat is total, we must make preparations for the conquest of their world" he said.

The Earth began spinning in a clockwise direction, opposite of where it was heading before, and as it did so, those caught up in the temporal storm found themselves regressing in age.

Bulk, Skull and Lt. Stone were among the panicked citizens reduced to children.

"Hey, aren't we a little bit short for these uniforms?" asked a nimble and nervous Stone.

"Who asked you?" said Bulk, shoving Stone to the ground and trying to walk away only for his feet to trip over the long sleeves of his pants.

Elsewhere, someone is tossing a baseball to some milk jugs at a booth, observed by a vendor with his dog at his side, when the temporal storms overtake them and they're all reverted to children, with the dog reverted to a puppy.

Back at the command centre , the Rangers observed the changes to the world in disbelief.

"I can't believe this is happening" she said.

"Our parents...our friends, will they even recognise us if we head back?" asked Adam.

Tommy was beside himself with guilt and anger.

Observing all these changes at the Command Centre, Katherine shed a small tear as the world she knew fell apart, and all on her special day.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

Noone had an answer.

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	2. Gracepoint

**Episode Two: Gracepoint**

The citizens of Angel Grove were in a state of panic, and the Rangers could do nothing but watch in horror as their friends and family were regressed in age, all of them looked lost and confused.

"It's so unreal" said Aisha.

"You have to think about the long-term ramifications of this, world leaders who could have made a difference in the world now either back where they were climbing the political ladder, or are back to attending middle league" said Adam.

"And what about the world peace conference? That's not even about anymore, all the progress made by Jason, Zack and Trini will have been for nothing" said Tommy.

"This planet's in deep trouble" said Rocky.

"What are you doing Alpha?" said Adam, watching Alpha work feverishly at the controls.

"I'm working on projecting a temporal gracepoint around the Command Centre; it should shield all of us from the effects of the time storms generated by the Orb of Doom" said Alpha.

"You mean we won't reverse in age?" asked Aisha.

"Correct Aisha, but it is by no means a permanent solution, it will only work for a short time" Zordon replied.

"At least it gives us a chance to protect the Earth and find a way to undo all of this" said Rocky.

"Zordon, what are the consequences of this timeline reversal? Will our powers be stripped from us?" said Billy.

"The shift in timelines will prove to be costly to your powers. While you are protected by the temporal gracepoint, your power coins will be unable to function in the new world as Ninjor remains outside of our perimeter, and he will find himself swept up in the changes. It will be as if you never met him"

"So our Ninja powers won't exist?" said Tommy.

"Your Ninja Ranger powers will still work because they are an extension of your inner animal totems, we're working on a way to fuse their energies with that of the metallic armour so you can utilize those full time instead" Alpha explained.

"The Ninja Coins will remain dormant for now, but they still contain enough residual power, combined with the protection of the temporal gracepoint, they will be of some potential use" Zordon replied.

"What sort of use?" asked Tommy.

"I think I know what Zordon means by that Tommy, trust me, we'll be right on top of things" assured Billy.

Tommy looked at Katherine, her face expressing all kinds of despairing emotion.

"Hey there" he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Katherine gripped his hand tightly.

"Oh Tommy, this is all my fault, I should have kept my focus on Rito, instead of trying to help you" she said.

"You made the right call, those Tengas had me all tied up, I don't know if I'd made it back if it weren't for you" said Tommy.

"Yeah Kat, we all make hard choices as Power Rangers, but we're all a team here, more than that, we're a family"

"So you don't think less of me for what I did?" said Katherine, trying to hold back an emotional breakdown.

"Hey, you're looking at a pretty remarkable team here, we forgave you for what you did under Rita's power, and we're here to pick you up for anything you do under your own power" said Tommy.

Katherine smiled.

"Oh you guys, you sure know how to make this birthday just the slightest bit better" she said.

"Oh no guys, look" said Aisha, pointing to the viewing globe.

The Rangers observed the globe and recoiled in horror at the sight before them.

It was Rito Revolto. Now giant sized, making his way through the more derelict corners of the city.

"He'll level the whole city if we don't do something" said Rocky.

"I'm afraid there's little we can do. Alpha needs time to generate the temporal gracepoint across the entire planetary bio-grid. Any attempt to escalate the process will result in catastrophic damage to the morphing grid" Zordon explained.

"He doesn't seem to be attacking a populated area, that's unlike him" Katherine noted.

"Are you kidding? The abandoned warehouse district and the evacuated harbours are practically their favourite picnic spot" said Rocky.

"She's got a point guys, Zedd's forces probably know we retreated back here, they know we're still a threat, so they're trying to draw us out when we're not ready so they can finish us" Tommy revealed.

"Let's hope they get bored easily then, because it's hard to just stand by and watch this unfold" said Adam.

The giant warrior took the time to rest, snapping off a nearby television antenna and using it to floss his teeth.

"This bad boy always needs his recommended dose of good dental hygiene" he remarked.

Observing Rito's actions were Rita and Zedd in the lunar palace.

" _Well_ , has our scout drawn the Rangers out of hiding yet?" asked Zedd as he lay on a metal slab, the brain being massaged by Tengas.

"Not a peep from those power pests so far" said Rita.

"Then perhaps it's true, the Rangers may not be able to draw on power or assistance from that ninny Ninjor. Which leaves Angel Grove, and the world, ripe for the taking" Zedd exclaimed

"I'll tell Rito to start tearing away at the populated sectors that should leave them in just the right state to wilfully submit to our merciless whims" said Rita.

"Do so, if there's one thing that skinless skeleton has been getting right lately, it's following orders to an exact science" said Zedd.

Suddenly, a swarm of disharmonious energies shot forth from the palace and towards the Earth, plucking Rito from where he stood in the city, reducing him in size and transporting him back to the palace. Rito landed right on top of Zedd's massage bed.

"Oh I knew it was too bad to be true" said Zedd.

"Hey, can I get a rub too?" Rito asked of the Tenga.

Zedd threw Rito off of the bed and scowled as Vile arrived on the scene.

"Why do that you blimp of bile? Can't you see the Rangers are in hiding? Now is the perfect chance to strike at the Earth" snapped an irate Zedd.

"You fool, do not forget that the Rangers are still a thorn in our side even without access to their powers. They still have their wits about them, their confidence, we must strip them of that too, and we shall do so by targeting their precious command centre"

"As much as I'd love to deprive Zordon of his humble abode, it's difficult to do so when you can only access the Command Centre through the use of a power coin" Zedd argued.

"Precisely why we _need_ the power coins, or at the very least _one_ of them, and that will soon prove an easy task, especially with what is at stake if they do not bring the coins into the open and into our hands"

"How so Daddykins?" asked Rita.

"All be revealed soon my dear, for now I must prepare my own special task force from the M-1 galaxy, I need more monsters I can personally rely on, not any of your hatched job of a husband's routine failures" Vile elaborated.

Zedd glowed furiously with anger as Vile teleported away.

"I can't believe the nerve of that feckless father of yours" Zedd replied.

"Hey, language like that my Dad isn't on Zeddy" Rita snapped angrily.

"Oh please, you _live_ to offend" said Zedd.

In a secluded part of the palace, Master Vile was making good on his vow to make use of his allies.

"Monster Council of the M-1 System, hear my summons. The power is contained; the Rangers are on the run. We have the advantage, gather your forces and await my signal"

Back on Earth, the Angel Grove carnival had been brought to a permanent halt and people were heading towards the nearby monster shelters as Tengas swarmed the streets.

Not keen on going home anytime soon were Bulk and Skull, who, joined by Jerome Stone, had just taken off with a bundle of clothes that actually fit their size.

"I don't think you should have done that, it's stealing" said Stone.

"Oh look what we have here, the law of the land" said Bulk, pushing Stone away with his free hand.

"Yeah, if you want to be like one fraction of a punk like us, you'll take what you like" said Skull.

Stone sulked and walked back into the shop, forking through his wallet and handing the shop owner some money before joining Bulk and Skull outside.

"What a moral moron" said Bulk, who pointed towards a nearby alleyway.

"Come on, we'll get changed in there" he said.

As the trio headed off into the alleyway, they were being watched sharply by an eagle-eyed female police officer.

She waited anxiously for the trio to emerge with their almost ill-gotten garb before stepping out of the car and approaching them.

"You boys sure know how to keep to curfew" she said.

Bulk and Skull gulped.

The female observed their discarded uniforms.

"Finding them a bit big to wear?" she said.

"We could never fill those shoes anyway" said Skull.

"Actually Ma'am, these boys here were just thinking of returning them to the local police station" said Jerome.

The female smiled and patted him on the head.

"I saw what you did at the shop back there kid, you'll go places. Now as for you and the other two, you're going back with me until we figure out who your parents are. It's not safe to be out here" she said.

Back at the Command Centre, the Rangers were pondering their next move when suddenly the lights began flickering, a loud hum could be heard throughout the structure, and the viewing globe's imagery became distorted and hard to see.

"Ai-Ai-Ai, the adjustments I've made to accommodate the power of the temporal gracepoint is shutting down our psychokinetic cloaking array" said Alpha.

"Meaning what?" asked Rocky.

"That means our location will be known to the forces of evil" said Zordon.

Back at the lunar palace, Zedd titled his head upwards as the Tengas continued to massage his brain. He clambered off of the bed and projected his planetary tracking gaze across the plains of the Earth.

"Rita, you know that feeling you get when a migraine lifts?" said Zedd.

"I _barely_ know that feeling" said Rita.

"It means the knowledge long denied to my routine scans of the planet is no longer in place, I finally know the location of the command centre" Zedd replied.

"Great, so what do we do? Knock on the door and ask to be let in?" Rita replied.

"Your father was right, he had foreseen that Zordon would make a mistake as crucial as this" Zedd realised.

"So do we go through with his plan when the time is right?" said Rita.

"No one initiates a plan of action before I do. If we can draw the Rangers out of hiding, Zordon will be vulnerable"

"We already sent a scout, daddy dearest didn't take too kindly to it" said Rita.

"Then we shall second a second scout to Earth, one who is more expendable, and we shall target people the Rangers care about to guarantee their swift intervention" Zedd schemed, scanning the Earth for an opportunity.

Fortunately, he found exactly what he was looking for as he observed the police car carrying Bulk, Skull and Stone to the local station.

"Ah yes, the oversized simpleton and his lanky loser friend, they will make fitting targets" said Zedd.

Rita went over to her repulsascope and observed what was going on at the now almost empty carnival. To her delight, she found some people were refusing to leave and were indeed trying their hand at a couple of slot machines on loan from the Angel Grove Casino.

"Oh Zeddy, I think we've hit the jackpot" Rita said, dragging Zedd by the arm and dragging him towards the repulsacope.

Zedd looked through it and beamed bright red in delight.

"Oh, how fortunate. Let's see if this little effort produces three matching lemons for this whole stinking city to suck on" said Zedd, aiming his Z-staff at the Earth and unleashing an incredible display of raw and evil energy which rocketed towards the carnival, impacting the nearest slot machine and turning it into a monster.

"Behold Slotski" Zedd said.

"Really? Can't you call it something like Jackperil? Or Smackpot? Or something that's easier to sell to the kids?" Rita remarked.

Inside the police car, Bulk, Skull and Jerome were reading the information on their uniform badges.

"Why do these guys have the same names as us?" said Skull.

"Yeah, I really don't get it...and what were we doing wearing them anyway?" said Bulk.

"Sounds like a real mystery here gang" said Jerome.

"Will you cut that out Stone? We're no gang" said Bulk.

"Yeah, we're nasty boys, not Nancy boys" said Skull, showing off his awareness of young detective novels.

"I'd like to investigate what's going on, being a detective has always been a dream of mine" said Jerome, looking out at the wreckage of the city, lost in his own imagination.

"You boys better keep quiet back there" said the officer.

"Hey, we'd be as still as a rock if we didn't keep driving over all those cracks in the pavement" remarked Bulk.

"You kids are starting to crack me up with your antics" the officer told them.

Suddenly, Slotski, flanked by several Tengas arrived on the scene, they encircled the car. The Tengas menacingly began pecking at the car windows, causing cracks to form.

"Get behind me guys" said Jerome, protecting the terrified Bulk and Skull.

"Stay calm kids, I've got this" the officer said, putting the pedal to the metal and attempting to run down Slotsky, but a Tenga jumped on top of the car roof and pecked the windshield. Other Tengas focused on pecking the tires, causing them to deflate.

"I'm the monster around these parts that you're best not putting odds on beating" Slotski said menacingly.

At the Command Centre, the alarms were ringing, signalling great danger.

"Alpha, have you stabilized the systems?" said Billy.

The lights suddenly lit up the interior of the command structure and the hum dimmed. The Rangers were ecstatic.

"Ay-Ay-Ay, we have full power again. The gracepoint is in total effect and your Ninja Ranger powers have been successfully fused with what remains of the metallic armour. You may call on the powers when ready" Alpha said jubilantly, handing the Rangers what appeared to be circular stone coins, instructing the Rangers to replace the ninja coins with them in their power morphers.

"You're a life saver Alpha" said Aisha.

"The viewing globe is fully operational now" said Alpha.

The Rangers were soon witnessing the source of the commotion in the command centre, as they witnessed Slotski's attack.

"That's Bulk and Skull, and I think Lt. Stone too" said Rocky.

"Aw man, they're sitting ducks" Tommy said.

"Then I think it's time we give them cover" Rocky replied.

Tommy nodded.

"Zordon, what if Zedd escalates the threat?" Adam asked.

"There was only one option available to us Rangers, but it may prove a risk" Zordon revealed.

"Ever since we discovered the Shogun Zords, Zordon and I have been attempting to duplicate their technology in case of an event such as this where they would be lost again. What we have is still in prototype form, and there's only a few of them. They're called the Battle Borgs"

"We need all the assistance we can get Zordon, we'll take the risk" said Adam

"Alright guys, it's Morphing Time" Tommy decreed.

The Rangers produced their morphers and raised them to the sky. The stone coins glowed with a sort of pinkish hue which was also white and grey.

"Black Metallic Power"

"Red Metallic Power"

"Blue Metallic Power"

"Pink Metallic Power"

"Yellow Metallic Power"

"White Metallic Power"

The Metallic Armour soon coated the Rangers from head to toe and they teleported to the scene of the monster attack.

Back at the scene, Bulk, Skull, Jerome and the police officer had been driven from the car and were now proceeding on foot. They didn't get too far before bumping again into Slotski.

"Alright, end of the line officer" said the sinister slot machine as the kids and officer froze where they stood.

The officer reached for her gun, determined to keep the children safe. Bulk and Skull clutched one another tightly, trembling at the very sight of the monstrous abomination. Jerome shook his head.

"What a pair of scaredy cats, you two need is some discipline" he said.

"Have you ever considered enlisting kid?"

"I'd only enlist if they do, so I could teach them how to behave in a proper manner" Jerome boasted.

"Hey, nobody makes small talk in front of a big shot like me" said Slotski, as he advanced towards them.

Suddenly, the Rangers leapt into action, Tommy nailed Slotski in the chest with a powerful kick and swept him off of his feet by crouching down and throwing his leg underneath his staggering frame, throwing him off balance.

"Time to empty you out" said Tommy as the other Rangers dealt with the Tengas, the teens glad to be once again a match for the ferocious flapping footsoldiers after the unfair advantage granted to them by the karmic Houdini tricks of the Orb of Doom.

"Ah, the Power Rangers, so you've crawled out from under your rock" said Slotski as he got up.

"Power Rangers?" said Jerome in wonderment.

"What a bunch of colour coordinated weirdoes" said Skull.

"Yeah, its' like Skittles got into law enforcement" remarked Bulk.

"Yeah, those guys never change" said Tommy.

"Time to break these beaks" said Aisha.

Billy jumped high in the air and formed a fist with his right hand before coming down and pressing the fist down hard on two Tenga's heads, he followed that up with two kicks and an uppercut to both.

One of the Tengas was able to grab hold of Adam and suplexed him over his shoulder, refusing to release his grip, and went for it a second time, a third suplex sent him against the back of an abandoned taxi cab. He was about to attempt a fourth suplex when Adam's feet touched the edge of the cab and he pushed himself back, throwing the Tenga onto his own back. Adam followed that up by smashing the Tengas's cheeks with the back of his elbows, which finally caused his hold to release.

Katherine found herself surrounded by two Tengas, they both charged ahead at her, but she was able to do the splits and throw two punches at their chests before getting up, grabbing both of their heads, and cracking their skulls together, she then did a tremendous back flip onto the roof of another car to meet up with a Tenga perched on there. They exchanged blows before Katherine was able to deliver a fierce right hook to the Tenga's beak, bending it slightly, and threw up a high knee which sent it catapulting off of the car and onto the ground.

Aisha took a few hits from a group of four Tengas, Slotski trying to get them to hold her steady so he could finish her off with an energy blast, but Tommy speared him from the right hand side. The distraction startled the Tengas, allowing Billy to come to Aisha's aid and send the Tengas packing with a couple of high knees, leg sweeps and uppercuts.

Realizing his forces were exhausted and depleted, Slotski prepared to flee.

"Looks like I need a place to cool off, luckily I know just the place. Catch me when and if you can Rangers" Slotski said before teleporting away with the battle weary Tengas.

"No, he got away" Tommy said.

"Alright freeze" said the police officer, having finally found the nerve to use your weapon, which she was pointing at the Rangers.

Tommy raised his hands in the air and slowly turned to greet her.

"Listen Officer, we mean you no harm, we're the Power Rangers" he said.

"Never heard of you before now" said the officer.

"We're from a different time and place, but trust me, we're your best line of defence against these monsters" said Aisha.

Katherine leaned over to check on Bulk and Skull.

"Keep away from them" said the officer, turning her weapon towards Katherine.

"Please that isn't necessary" said Katherine.

Bulk and Skull flinched from the Pink Ranger, terrified out of their wits.

Jerome however stood his ground.

"Thanks for saving our lives ma'am" he said, giving the Pink Ranger a hug.

The officer, concerned for Jerome, grabbed him by the hand and kept him behind her.

"Don't touch him" she said.

"Officer, you just saw us make mincemeat out of those monsters, trust us, we're on your side" assured Rocky.

"Come down to the station with me and we'll determine what side of the law you're on" said the officer.

"We don't have time, Slotski is still on the loose and we have to intercept him" Billy revealed.

Tommy's communicator went off.

"We read you Alpha" Tommy said.

"Ay-Ay-Ay, Rangers, Slotski has shown up at the Angel Grove Water Park"

"We're on our way" said Tommy.

"You're not going anywhere until I get answers" the officer threatened.

"I know you're upset, and confused, you probably don't even know why you're out in your police car like this, you probably retired twenty or so years ago, the world's a confusing place right now, but we'll do our best to set everything straight. If you let us"

The officer hesitated, which gave the Rangers the chance to teleport away.

Angered that she let potential perpetrators slip out of her hands, the officer turned back to the kids.

"Alright, let's get you three home as soon as possible" she said.

"You're not going after those freaks?" said Bulk.

"Yeah, then we could say you were chasing the rainbow" said Skull.

"Nice commercial plug there buddy" said Bulk.

At the Angel Grove Water Park, Slotski was making waves, literally.

Dipping into a pool and coming up with three "BAR" slots, the machine fired out coins that were piping hot and caused any slab of concrete touched to melt or explode

A fresh flock of Tenga Warriors were summoned in a hailstorm of feathers.

"Time to flap with fury boys" the monster proclaimed.

The Rangers suddenly arrived on the scene. Tommy flipped in the air over the water. To his side, the Aisha and Adam jogged along and soon engaged with a trio of Tengas by the water slide. Their battle took them up the stairs leading to the slide, and their struggle was so great that the Tengas slid down the slide and into the pool in order to escape.

Rocky duelled with two of the birdbrains at once, while the bystanders cheered and applauded as their lives were saved.

Assisted by Billy, Rocky put on a show for the citizens, flipping into a group of Tengas, followed by kicks and punches, Rocky focused on a single Tenga left standing, the Tenga tried to kick at him but Rock grabbed his leg, wrapped his own around it and took him down.

"Hey, you ticklish?" Billy said, and proceeded to dance your merry fingers along the captive feet of the Tenga. The Tenga spiralled out of control with hysterics and rolled along before crashing into the pool.

Tommy bounced around fighting a Tenga. The Tenga jumped all over him, but Tommy swiftly found an opening and planted a leap kick on the creature's back

Katherine had a Tenga by the legs, and spun it around in the air, which caused it to fall head first into the pool below.

At this point, most of the Tengas found them drenched and defeated. They clambered out and flew away, leaving Slotski to fend off the Rangers alone.

The citizens at the pool continued to cheer and show pure adulation at the sights unfolding. Slotski was furious, and chose to flee once again.

"Where's he heading now?" said Tommy.

At the Command Centre, Alpha was tracking Slotski's movements.

"Ay-Ay-Ay, Rangers, he's at the quarry"

The Rangers teleported to the location just as the cops arrived to contain the situation.

At the quarry, the battle continued, Slotski gave the arriving teens a thumbs down.

"Check out this new toy Zedd and Rita gave me" he said, revealing he now had a magnet where his left hand should be. As Rocky leapt into the air and took aim with his power sword, the monster blocked the blow by using the magnet's power to draw the sword and it's bearer towards him, before landing a blow of his own to Rocky's chest.

Slotski then ran through all of the Rangers, using the magnet to his advantage, as it attracted all of their power weapons.

"Let's see if these things work" Slotski said, taking the blasters and firing rounds from them, leaving the Rangers covered in exploding sparks that easily felled them.

Slotski walked over to his victims, only to find their uniforms were empty. He found no trace of their bodies.

Turning his back for just a moment, Slotski opened himself up to a surprise attack as Rocky tapped him on the shoulder.

"Special delivery sir" he said, and delivered a knuckle sandwich to the monster's temple, his magnetic hand dropped the blasters and other weapons, which were picked up by the Rangers, who blasted him. Tommy then leapt over the shoulders of his teammates and slashed Slotski with Saba.

"Why, you..." Slotski said, snarling.

The Rangers regrouped.

"These childish games of yours are over, you might as well surrender" said Tommy.

Slotski was defiant as always.

"No, you're cheating" he snapped.

At the Lunar Palace, Zedd and Rita crossed their wand and staff together. Thunder and lightning coursed through them as the diabolical duo made their intentions clear.

"Forces of evil empower us, make our monster grow" they said in unison.

Below on the Earth, Slotsky was bombarded by the insidious energy as it was shot from the moon towards the city, and he grew to an incredible height.

The Rangers looked on in horror; their worst fears had come to pass.

"Well Billy, looks like we're going to have to put those prototypes of yours through their paces" said Rocky.

"Right, Katherine, I'm afraid I haven't had the time to create one for you, you'll have to stay out of this one" Billy said.

Katherine felt a little disappointed, but understood.

The Rangers gathered together, taking their Metallic coins out and holding them out to the sky.

"We need Battle Borg Power Now" they cried out.

They tossed their coins into the air, causing them to stream out in a warm glowing resonance, materializing before Slotski's eyes were five machines that somewhat resembled the Shogun Zords in appearance, but were more streamlined and protected by more armour.

Back at the Lunar Palace, Zed and Rita were quite irritated.

"Battle Borgs? What are they, overgrown tennis players?" Zedd remarked.

On the ground, the Rangers found themselves once more in astonishment at the feats of Billy and Zordon's ingenuity.

"Hey, these are pretty cosy" remarked Aisha.

"You've outdone yourself this time Billy" said Adam.

"Save the compliments for later guys, we've got to take Slotski out" said Tommy.

"The Battle Borgs respond to our moves on ground level, follow my lead" Billy said, posing in a fighting stance, which was mimicked by the Blue Battle Borg.

Slotski taunted the fighting machines.

"C'mon!"

Slotski fired a deadly energy blast at them through his hands, but the Borgs walked straight through it, not any of it making a dent. As the smoke from the blast surrounded the area, the Rangers took full advantage of their brief concealment by taking some wild jumps in the air and landing with a well timed kick which levelled Slotski.

Tommy and Aisha leapt into the air with their fists out, the White and Yellow Borgs matched this and gave Slotski another pair of hard shots.

Billy and Adam guided their respective Borgs, having them join hands and creating a swirling tornado that swept Slotski up and deposited him on the far left of the quarry they were battling in. He landed hard.

The Red Battle Borg flipped off of the shoulders of Yellow and Black, landed on White and Blue's arms, and sprung into the air with their assistance. Slotsky was taken by surprise, as the Red Ape Borg was flung in his direction. Its body turned to a searing energy form which ripped straight through the monster's chest unit, coming out of the other side and reverting back to its normal form. Slotski let out a blood-curdling screams as sparks of flame ignited all over his body and he collapsed in a heap before ultimately exploding.

The five Battle Borgs stood together, at ease and triumphant.

The day was saved.

A few hours later, a massive public assembly had gathered at the fountain situated in Angel Grove Square.

The crowd were eagerly anticipating the arrival of their 'new' heroes. Angel Grove's acting Mayor Carlin Carrington addressed the crowd at a podium with a large banner in the backdrop hanging over him reading ' _Thankyou Power Rangers_ "

"Citizens of Angel Grove, as you know, our town has come under the attack of horrible alien forces. But thanks to our new friend, all is well. We are safe. And it is for this reason that I present these Power Rangers with the highest honour for bravery: the golden star!"

The crowd exploded in rapturous applause, grateful for their saviours.

At the Lunar palace, Zedd felt faint and chose to lie back down on his massage bed to have his brain tended to by the Tengas.

Rita sulked as she observed the celebrations on the Repulascope.

"And I thought ONE Power Rangers Appreciation Day was too much for me" she said, suddenly feeling a familiar sensation surge through her temple.

"Oh Zeddy, I think I have a migraine, can you be a dear and let me take a turn with your therapist?"

"In a couple of millennia perhaps dear" said Zedd as he began to unwind, much to Rita's annoyance.

Back at the Command Centre, the Rangers were full of mirth, content that the day had been saved and satisfied that they were able to pull out an incredible victory.

"Man, I don't care what the history books say after we fix the timeline, that was a day to remember" joked Aisha.

"Congratulations Power Rangers. In light of everything that's happened, you were able to persevere and hold back the forces of evil for a time" Zordon said, beaming with pride.

"I just hope the temporal gracepoint can hold out long enough" said Adam.

"What did you want us back here for Billy?" asked Rocky.

Billy was composed, but also came across as cautious.

"I've studied the effects of the Orb of Doom and I think I can reverse the process, but it'll require our ninja coins to do it" explained Billy.

"I thought the Ninja Coins were useless now?" said Rocky.

"There's still some residual power in them as a result of the gracepoint" Billy explained.

"It's not going to be as simple as it sounds is it?" said Adam.

"The Ninja coins can restore the world to normal, but we have to risk using them outside of the Command Centre" Billy said.

"But Billy, surely that means they'll be vulnerable to an attack" said Katherine.

Billy sighed. He knew what he was asking of them.

"I know, but at this stage it may be our only recourse" Billy said.

"This is a difficult decision you are faced with Rangers, but I know you will do what is necessary to save the Earth" said Zordon.

Tommy looked at the others, they held their nerve, and gave their leader and Billy wise and unflinching looks. They were committed.

Tommy walked over to Billy.

"Do what you have to man, we'll support you. We gotta save the world no matter the cost"

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	3. Crash of the Coins

**Episode Three: Crash of the Coins**

Inside the Command Centre, five of the six teenagers were watching Billy as he worked on something. He was wearing a helmet with a prismed overlay, and held a magnifying glass close to his face.

Guiding him through his project was Alpha.

"Now move the refractile telemetry oscillator aside" the helpful droid instructed.

The teenagers decided to make small talk amongst themselves while Billy worked.

"How are you holding up back home?" Adam asked Aisha.

"I had to look up where my home was, my parents lived in Stone Canyon when I was very young. Seems they're still living there" she said.

"You should go visit them" said Adam.

"And tell them what? That I'm their missing daughter all aged up? They'd think I was nuts"

"You kind of have to be crazy to live around these parts anyway" remarked Rocky.

Katherine observed Tommy, who was feeling increasingly guilty for making the call to retreat.

"Alright guys, it's finished" said Billy as he unveiled the device.

"What is it?" said Adam.

"A chrono regenerator, it work on the same frequencies as the time storms generated by the Orb of Doom, it's powered by the remnants of energy found in our Ninja Coins" said Billy.

"So you can use this to reverse the effects?" asked Rocky.

"Affirmative" said Billy.

"Well what are we waiting for? When can we get started?" asked Rocky.

"I'll need to fetch some equipment I have back at my garage first" Billy said.

"That won't be easy. Your parents don't know you're all grown up now" said Adam.

"That's why we have to create a cover story to disguise our true intentions" Billy revealed.

"Do you have anything in mind?" asked Tommy.

"Yes, my dad told me a few years ago some men came to our house asking if anyone in the neighbourhood had positronic receptors. He said he had a few lying around and let them have their pick of the litter"

"And you want us to pose as these men?" asked Tommy.

"We have always been those men Tommy, it's what we call a temporal paradox" Billy explained.

Rocky's eyes widened.

"Mind. Blown" he said.

"Well while you're off selecting what we need, me, Aisha and Adam will have our hands full, we volunteered to help out Angel Grove Kindergarten with the school field trip and keep an eye on the kids on the bus" said Katherine.

"That's going to prove a handful" said Aisha.

"It's the best way we can keep any eye on all our friends in case Zedd and Rita try to take another shot at them like they did the other day with Bulk and Skull" explained Adam.

Meanwhile, at the lunar palace, Lord Zedd was in one of his usual hotly tempered moods.

"That tyrant father of yours is turning this entire building upside down to make room for his precious monster council meeting" he complained to his wife.

"We all have to give members of this family space Zeddy" said Rita.

"I'd be more than delighted to give him space, I'd love to send him straight into space, across the farthest galaxies, and out of my hair" said Zedd.

"Zeddy, you don't even have hair" Rita remarked.

"If he did, he'd have long pulled it out by now, those Rangers are living alopecia" said Rito.

"Those Rangers are all I have to keep myself distracted from Vile turning my palace into a world chaos conference" Zedd added.

"Speaking of the power brats, they're bound to be up to something by now. I'd better check on them" said Rita, peering into her repulsacope and eyeing the situation at the school.

"In the meantime, since the psychic barriers blocking me from detecting whatever Zordon gets up to have been removed, I will jam all interplanetary communications for this star system so he cannot call on any help from the neighbouring galaxies.

Zedd schemed, taking his staff and triggering an electromagnetic wave that encircled the entire Earth.

"From Eltar to Edenoi to Aquitar. He and his Rangers will be forced to face whatever comes next alone"

At the command centre, Zedds' intervention could be detected by Alpha and Zordon.

"Ay-Ay-Ay, our interstellar transmitters have gone haywire" Alpha said in a panic.

"Lord Zedd has become wise to our intentions Alpha, without sufficient help from our allies, the Rangers' will have a limited window from which to succeed" Zordon revealed.

Just outside the crowded Angel Grove Elementary School, several of the teenagers were meeting up with the teachers outside of the bus.

"Well Ms. Hillard, you and your friends credentials appear to check out, so I suppose I'd best leave you to it. Just remember that their lunch hour is at 1 PM and to pick up everything they litter the park with" said Ms. Calendar to Katherine.

"How long do you think it'll be before she finds out the documentation is falsified?" whispered Aisha as she herded several of the kids into the bus.

"We won't let you down Ms. Calendar" assured Katherine as she climbed into the bus, Aisha, and Adam joining her.

The Rangers headed towards the back of the bus, and took their seats alongside the rowdier kids, which included Bulk and Skull, who were busy chewing up pieces of paper and flinging them at the girls sitting in front of them.

Katherine noticed one quiet lad seated next to the two of them who was trying to get them to cut it out by removing the pile of blank paper that they had appropriated from the school printers.

"Jerome? Jerome Stone? You're a prize pupil, you should be at the front" she said.

"I'm good where I am ma'am, someone needs to keep a beady eye on those two" Stone said, pointing to the two loudmouthed mischief makers.

"Somehow I get the feeling I'm destined to put up with a lot from them in the future" he remarked.

"Well, I'll tell you what, Aisha and I are going to check on the kids at the front, you can keep an eye on these two while we're away" said Katherine.

Jerome nodded; Katherine placed one finger on his nose affectionately before moving away and towards the front of the bus with Aisha.

Bulk pushed Skull out of the way so he could talk to Jermone

"Hey _Jerk_ rome, look what I'm packing" he said, pulling out a large black carrier bag underneath his seat and opening it, showing a large stash of red balloons loaded with water.

What are you gonna do with those?" Jerome asked.

"What else?" Skull said, hoisting one of the balloons out of the bag.

"I wouldn't waste any on him Skull, he's already a drip" said Bulk.

"You two need to act their age rather than your own" said Stone.

"Aw, look at that, he wants to grow up so fast" mocked Skull.

The bus closed its doors and was soon on its way to the park.

Peering out from the bushes close to the school were Rito and Goldar.

"Looking after the little ones, how big of those brats" said Rito.

"That means the team is split in half, if we attack now, they won't be able to fight back without comprising their secrets in front of the children" said Goldar.

"Oh yeah, that pesky rule of cool from Zordon, never reveal your secret ID. Smart thinking that ya manic monkey you" said Rito, rubbing his hand on Goldar's forehead, with Goldar quickly brushing it off.

"Come on, we've got to catch up with them" said Goldar, trying to move out of position only to trip up over Rito and his clumsy feet.

At the Cranston residence, Billy had put his plan into action and was conversing with his father, unaware of his true identity.

"What do you say Mr. Cranston? We could really appreciate your help here" said Billy.

"Positronic receptors you say? Well don't that just beat all, my boy Billy's been working on something with just that. Boy I miss him; you haven't seen him by any chance have you?"

"I wouldn't know where to look sir, but trust me, I'm sure given time he'll turn up" Billy said, patting his father on the shoulder.

"Well, let me know if you need anything else" Mr. Cranston said, and allowed Billy access to the garage.

Billy gave Tommy and Rocky the all clear, the two walked over to help Billy with the receptors, attaching them to the regenerator and depositing the Rangers' power coins into an allocated slot at the far right of the device.

"This should be the last connection we make, it's too bad some of the more advanced components won't be invented for another twelve years, so we'll definitely have to rely fully on what we can get out of the power coins" Billy explained.

Observing events from the Lunar Palace, Zedd was ecstatic.

"Yes, the power coins are out in the open, all we need do now is swoop in and take what we need, we can take care of the rest once they are in our hands" Zedd cackled.

"Should we strike now Zedd?" said Rita.

"First, we'll make sure the Rangers don't have the opportunity to reunite" Zedd revealed.

On board the bus, Katherine and Aisha were comforting a girl at the front who was visibly upset and already being tended to by Adam.

"Alright, you're among friends now, tell them what you told me" said Adam.

"What's the matter?" asked Katherine.

"Yeah, spill little lady, you're among friends here" said Aisha.

The girl did her best to dry her eyes and perk up.

"It's just...all the attacks we've had lately, and there's been kids who come to this school who are missing...nobody knows where they are, I've heard people talking, they say monsters came and ate them, and any one of us could be next" she said.

"Who told you that they've been eaten?" asked Adam.

The girl pointed to Bulk and Skull at the back.

"Figures" muttered Adam.

"Missing kids?" Katherine said.

She pulled Aisha and Adam to one side.

"Do you think she's referring to some of us?" she whispered.

"Neither of us are local to the city, Rocky, Adam and I are from Stone Canyon, and you don't move here for another few years...she must be talking about Billy and Tommy" Aisha replied.

Adam leaned over to the little girl again.

"Listen, I'm sure we'll find them, you don't have to be frightened, those mean old monsters have a thorn in their side, six thorns to be exact" he assured her.

"You mean those Power Rangers?"She asked.

"Yeah, and hey, even hard working ordinary joes can look out for you too, just give both of them a chance, they won't let you down"

"You sure there's a chance?" she asked.

"There's always a chance" Adam replied.

The girl smiled, her tears had dried up, and she felt confident again.

As the bus travelled along the road, the elderly driver hummed a small diddy; Katherine and Aisha were soon inspired and encouraged the rest of the kids to join in. All except Bulk and Skull were willing to participate.

"Man, I'd rather they tried their hand at trash metal" said Bulk.

"Yeah, right now this is just nothing but pure trash" remarked Skull.

Suddenly, with no warning, Rito leapt onto the front of the bus and appeared menacingly in the front window before the terrified driver.

Rito pounded his bony fists against the window as the bus increased in speed, demanding he be let in. The driver then slammed his foot on the breaks, causing Rito to fall off of the bus and land on the hard concrete of the road.

"I hope nothing's broken" Rito said as he struggled to get up, suddenly feeling a crack in the lower part of his leg.

"Yeah, that'll need some glue" he remarked.

The little girl at the very front of the bus, only too briefly brought out of her funk by the teenagers, soon found reason to be fearful once more.

"Help, a monster's come to eat us" she yelled.

Bulk & Skull spotted Goldar peering at them through the back of the bus and they dashed down the corridor of the bus towards the front, as soon as they saw Rito, they ran back down again but were too afraid to complete the journey because of Goldar's presence. Stone rolled his eyes at their behaviour.

Rito walked over to the door of the bus and knocked it on it, he received no answer.

"Guess the polite approach never works out for people with mugs like ours" he said to Goldar, who joined him.

He grabbed the door with his hands and pulled it off of its hinges. The driver got up and stared down the skeleton defiantly.

"You can't just barge in here, we have rules" he said.

"Rules are like rubber to me, they bounce straight off" Rito argued, his eyes glowing radiant with evil energy.

"Now, are you going to play hero, or are you going to drop and give me zero?" he said.

The elderly driver fainted, his brief act of bravery all too much for him.

"Right, while papa is asleep, I'll give you brats a real wake-up call" said Rito as he took aim at the Rangers, who stood between him and the kids in the back.

"Surrender now and the kids don't get hurt"

"We can't let the kids in on our secret, it could jeopardize the timeline" Adam whispered to Kat and Aisha.

"Mr. Park, we need a plan" said Jerome to Adam.

"Don't worry, I've got just the idea Stone" said Adam, who beckoned Bulk and Skull to join them.

Bulk and Skull pointed to themselves, confused.

"Us?" they said in unison.

"And bring your bag" he said.

Rito's patience was wearing thin.

"I'm going to give you ten seconds to give me what I want, and if not, I'm gonna start taking these brats on a one way trip to the moon"

"Times up,

"Now!" Adam yelled.

Bulk, Skull, Stone, Adam, Kat and Aisha suddenly began pelting Rito with water balloons, bombarding Rito, and he eventually slipped on the now wet floor of the bus and fell down.

Rito pleaded with the kids to stop, but his voice was drowned out by the defiant screams and catcalls of the student body. The school bus began rocking back and forth as the kids kicked and stomped on the fallen Rito.

The frightened little girl also found some extra nerve, and she took out a packet of popcorn and threw pellets of it at Rito, who got up and swiftly left the bus to join up once more with Goldar.

Adam checked on the bus driver, who steadily came around.

"Its ok sir, the dangers over, we can proceed with the trip" he said.

The driver took a moment to collect himself, before putting his foot on the pedal and putting as much distance between himself and the monsters as possible.

Back at the lunar palace, Rita despaired at the latest round of bungling from her brother and right hand henchman.

"How can he contribute to one near and total triumph one day and over the next couple of days, revert right back to type?" Rita replied, irate.

"If only the Orb of Doom wasn't the only good luck charm we could rely on" said Zedd.

"Ah luck is for shmucks" Rita replied.

Rito and Goldar barged in, each pointing at the other in an attempt to lay blame at each of their feet.

"He didn't back me up" said Rito.

"He backed away" said Goldar.

"Quiet you fools, it's fortunate in your case we have two trios of Rangers to select from, and this set of teens comes with a most valuable prize, namely the power coins. Follow them; wait for the precise moment to strike. When you have the coins in your possession, summon me. We shall soon be rid of the Rangers forever"

Back at his home neighbourhood, Billy was putting the finishing touches to the regenerator and making his way down a sidewalk with Rocky by his side.

"It was tough having to lie to my dad, I can't imagine what he must be going through right now thinking I'm missing" said Billy.

"Best not to dwell on it much longer Billy, hopefully we'll be able to turn time forward again" said Rocky.

Unbeknownst to them, Rito and Goldar were hot on their tail.

"Stay close behind me and don't make a peep" said Rito.

"Can you try repeating that a little quieter loud mouth?" Goldar hissed, not entirely pleased with the noise pollution emitting from Rito's lips.

The commotion was enough to get Billy and Rocky to turn their heads and glance at the source of the noise, but Rito and Goldar displayed a rare flair for stealth and hid behind a hedge.

"So far, so good" Goldar whispered, only for Rito to bump into him in an attempt to resume the pursuit, falling on top of Goldar and causing both to hit the pavement.

Rito stood up and kicked Goldar square in the shin, angry that he caused him to take his second tumble of the day.

"Watch where you're going you golden goomba" snapped Rito.

"You were the one who took me for a ride" said Goldar.

"Oh great, playing the blame game are we?" Rito replied.

"Come on, the Rangers are getting away" Goldar said

"And who's at fault for that?" Rito said insistently.

Goldar grabbed Rito by the shoulder blades and dragged him after the teenagers.

Billy and Rocky continued to make small chat as they continued on their merry way.

"You know what I'm gonna miss when the world is turned back to normal? The lack of an online internet presence, life in this timeline is so much simpler. People are out more, socialising with their families, playing with their friends in the park, not just on online games. People being of sound mind and character, instead of projecting themselves onto people with a false persona and attitude. Life has changed for us Rocky, it's changed for the worse" Billy said.

Once again, Goldar and Rito were making too much of a commotion, as Rita's bumbling brother found himself complaining a lot about Goldar's grip on his shoulder blades. Eventually, Rocky and Billy turned around, only for Goldar to duck behind a pair of trash cans.

"Do you get the feeling we're being watched?" asked Billy.

"Yeah, it's kind of spooky" replied Rocky.

"Look, I see Tommy up ahead with the van" Billy said as Tommy pulled up with a transport with which to make transporting the regenerator to their intended destination easier.

Tommy emerged from the driver's seat to open the back end of the van's doors so Billy could place the Regenerator inside of it.

Goldar realised the ideal opportunity had fallen into their lap.

The evil henchmonsters sprang from their hiding places and summoned forth a swarm of Tengas.

"Rito and Goldar" Rock yelled.

"We've got to protect the regenerator" said Billy, loading the regenerator into the back of the van.

"It's Morphing Time" said Tommy

Raising their Metallic morphers to the air, the Rangers drew forth power from their fused ninja ranger and metallic armour powers.

"Red Metallic Power"

"Blue Metallic Power"

"White Metallic Power"

The Rangers posed in a fighting stance as the Tengas danced merrily around them.

Tommy suddenly realised something and tried to make his way over to the van, only for a Tenga to block his path.

"What's wrong Tommy?" asked Billy.

"I left the keys in the ignition" said Tommy.

Hearing those words lit Rito's world right up, he teleported towards the front of the van, opened the door to the driver's corner, and swiftly turned the key.

"Let's take this show on the road. Ed's a waiting" said Rito.

To his dismay however, the van was having difficulty starting.

"Get those wheels turning, I'll stay here and make sure the power pests don't interfere" said Goldar, ordering the Tengas to attack.

The Rangers swiftly engaged their foes. Rocky threw a few fists into one Tenga while another tried sneaking up from behind, only to be blindsided by Billy.

Tommy summer salted across the road and delivered two fierce kicks and right hands to some other Tengas. Goldar tried blasting him with his eye beams and flames emitting from his sword, Tommy avoided all of the blasts and drew out his faithful sword Saba and crossed swords with Goldar.

The clash of swords proved so great, it shattered several windows in the neighbourhood.

Rito managed after a few tries to get the engine running, and he pressed his foot down hard on the pedal, sending the van careering down the road.

"Oh no, Tommy we have to intercept him" Billy replied.

"Zordon, I need my Shark Cycle, is it possible?" Tommy said, contacting Zordon.

"Yes Tommy, I can draw enough energy from your power source for the cycles to assist you this one time" said Zordon.

Tommy's shark cycle swiftly materialized, the White Ranger mounted it and took off after the van and its hijacker.

Rito glimpsed Tommy catching up to him in the rear view mirror.

"We playing Chase HQ now? I love that game, let's play a little risk with the road" said Rito, and began swerving the van from left to right, briefly even attempting to reverse and run over Tommy with the back end, but Tommy's cycle swerved out of the way and rode alongside the van.

Tommy began to ram the van at one side, trying to get it to crash into a nearby set of trash cans and thus be immobilised, but Rito regained control and tried to ram Tommy.

Tommy found himself trailing behind the van once again, but this was intentional, as he very carefully got up and balanced himself on the edge of the cycle.

Tommy took careful aim with Saba and leapt off of the cycle, the sword slashed the padlock on the back of the van and it came loose.

Tommy landed on the road too fast however, and he landed in a heap. The van sped away, and the White Ranger pounded the concrete in frustration. To the left of him, the unmanned white shark cycle swerved and crashed into a nearby fence and collided with the wall of a house.

Back where he had left them, Billy and Rocky were mopping up what remained of the Tenga forces. Exhausted and literally licking their wounds, the Tengas opted to retreat.

"This one's in the books Goldar" said Rocky.

"Indeed it is, for the final chapter in your careers are about to be written Rangers" cackled a triumphant Goldar, who teleported away.

Tommy ran over to where Billy and Rocky were standing, exhausted.

"Guys, I'm sorry, I did everything I could, but Rito got away. I was able to unlock the doors of the van before he slipped away, so it may turn up on the road"

"Let's just hope Rito is as reckless in driving as he is at everything else" said Rocky.

Tommy called on his friends at the Angel Grove Park asking for their assistance, but they had their hands full.

"I don't think we can afford to leave the kids alone Tommy. We were attacked earlier by Rito and the driver is in a state of shock. He was fine earlier, but that was mainly adrenaline. We'll stay here with everyone until the paramedics arrive, but I can't guarantee we'll be freed up even then" Katherine said apologetically.

"I understand" Tommy said with a faint and saddened sigh.

"Man, I can't believe a simple mistake cost us everything" said Rocky.

Back at the park, Bulk and Skull were boasting of their victory over Rito.

"We've faced down hundreds of evil space aliens, none of them have ever phased us" gloated Bulk as he held a water balloon in his hand.

"And you can all thank me for this weapon of choice" he continued, pointing to the balloon.

"Yeah, they may snap, they may crackle, but sooner or later they pop" Skull said, and punctured the water balloon with his toothpick, which caused it to explode all over Bulk.

The children all laughed and quickly dispersed from the gathering Bulk had assembled.

Jerome observed this latest mishap.

"Eugene, you really shouldn't interrupt anyone when they're talking" he said.

The little girl Adam, Kat and Aisha had been befriending earlier came up to them, feeling a little more jubilant.

"Hey little lady, how are you holding up?" Aisha asked.

"Fine, I got a call from my mom asking how I was...I told her how I dealt with that monster" she said.

"Yeah, that was pretty brave of you, how'd she take the news?" Adam said.

"I think I heard her faint, then daddy got on the phone, so I had to explain it again. He took it well, and told me he was proud, and how glad he was that I wasn't eaten"

"See, your dad shouldn't be listening to any horror stories, I'm sure one day those missing kids will turn up again and you won't need to feel blue" said Adam.

"I'm not afraid anymore, you taught me that if there's always a chance, there's always another day to come" she said, and gripped Adam in a hug.

On the outskirts of the city, at the Angel Grove reservoir rehydration centre, Zedd and Rita celebrated as Rito parked the van and checked the back of it to find the regenerator had rolled all the way over to a corner of the van where it had become trapped, keeping it locked in perfect position.

"Zeddy, about what I said about luck being for shmucks..." Rita replied.

"Save it my sourpuss princess, we have more pressing matters to attend to. Rito, hand me one of the power coins" Zedd replied.

Rito tossed the blue power coin to Zedd, who marvelled at it and its potential.

"This will give us easy access to Zordon's command centre. Now that we know where it is, we can put forward our best plan of attack. I already have a strategy in place that will enable us to cause the most damage without us being harmed by any of Zordon's interior defences" Zedd revealed.

"Enough strategising, it's high time we get on with causing some real damage" said Rita.

"I couldn't have put it better myself, let's get this over with" Zedd said.

Goldar teleported in and helped Rito hold up the regenerator containing the remainder of the power coins.

Rita and Zedd raised their staff and wand into the air, aiming them at the carefully positioned regenerator and fire crimson red energy blasts from both of them, the regenerator glowed brightly, and trinkets of golden radiance glowed from within as the power coins were brought to boiling point. Cries of falcons, apes, cranes, frog and bear could all be heard echoing throughout the heavens.

"Crash and burn baby" said Rito.

Back at the Command Centre, the Rangers had finally all assembled again to bear witness to this horrific sight, knowing they could do nothing to prevent it.

Billy feel weak, he clutched his chest. The teens all helped him to his feet.

"My power coin, it wasn't destroyed, I can feel it" said Billy.

"Ay-Ay-Ay, with Billy's coin in the hands of evil, there's little we can do to prevent you from suffering the same fate as Kimberly when her power coin was compromised" Alpha said.

"We can't afford to lose Billy" said Katherine.

"There is only one recourse Alpha, sever Billy's connection to the morphing grid" Zordon instructed.

"Ay-Ay-Ay, that could prove dangerous Zordon, and Billy would never be able to replenish his powers, he would effectively cease to be a Power Ranger permanently"

"It's ok Alpha, Katherine's right, you need me at my best, so long as I'm connected to my coin, Zedd can take advantage of my health" said Billy.

Alpha, solemn, pressed a few buttons on the control console. A silver and blue streak of energy shot forth from Billy's body and he fell to the floor.

"Are you Ok?" said Adam

Billy's face swirled with bright blue morphing energy.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good, my body is just morphing back to its original state is all" he said.

"We're so sorry Billy" said Katherine.

Watching the remainder of the situation on the viewing globe, the Rangers held back their rage and small tears as the regenerator finally exploded, the Rangers felt their powers ebbing away as the coins were reduced to dust.

Zedd, Rita, Goldar and Rito swiftly returned to the lunar palace to prepare a celebration of the day's events.

"I guess some of that ol' orb of doom luck stayed with me after all" said Rito.

"And then some" Rita replied.

"This day would go down in history if the timelines weren't already screwed up, so let's just call it the last chapter in a sordid and sorry book nobody enjoyed reading" said Zedd.

Master Vile soon made his presence known in the chamber.

"It's about time my sinful son-in-law did something right"

"Daddy, you've been locked in your private chambers for days, what kept you?" asked Rita.

"I was busy negotiating with the council of evil over which parts of the Earth we will rule over. You have no idea how many of us have an affinity for New Zealand beachfront property"

"Ah yes, your precious monster council...whenever are they arriving?" Zedd said.

"They have been notified of the situation. Now that we have a power coin, we can proceed with eliminating Zordon from the equation, I assign this task to my most fortunate child" said Vile.

"Ah daddy, I don't know what to say, I've been meaning to have words with Zordon for eons" said Rita.

"Not you, Rito" said Vile.

Rita gave Rito a scornful look.

"Lucky you" she said.

Back at the Command Centre, the Rangers were determining who was to blame for the current situation.

"This is our fault, we couldn't organize around our responsibilities to others." Said Katherine.

"Hey, we're all human Kat, don't beat yourself up over this" Tommy said, giving her a hug.

"We don't even know how much longer our metallic armour, or even the temporal gracepoint, will hold out" said Aisha.

"It looks like Rita and Zedd have won" said Katherine.

"Don't think like that guys, when there's a will, there's a way" said Tommy.

"Tommy is correct, there is one chance left" said Zordon.

The Rangers looked at each other in surprise.

"There is only one other source of power that could restore the Earth to normal. The Zeo crystal"

"But Zordon, we scattered the Zeo crystal into pieces around the entire planet, all through time and space" said Adam.

"Correct, however through the powers they emanate, I have pinpointed the countries and time periods where each of them is located. You must seek them out separately, for each one restores a particular Ranger. This is a quest for your roots. During which you will face potentially fatal danger. If you succeed, your part of the crystal will bestow upon you powers that will make you stronger than before"

"Zordon, there are only five sub crystals, what about Billy?" asked Aisha.

"Nothing can be done Aisha, Billy's link to the morphing grid is severed. Even if I could, I cannot re-establish that link"

"It's ok Aisha, we knew this day would come for one of us, so long as I can help you guys with weapons and new technology, I'll always be at the ready"

"You're forever a Ranger in spirit" said Adam.

The teenagers stepped forward as Zordon addressed them.

"Tommy, Aisha, Rocky, Adam & Katherine. Your journey is VERY dangerous, and the outcome uncertain. Will you accept this challenge?"

The Rangers nodded in acceptance.

"Good. Then let the Zeo Quest, begin!"

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


End file.
